New research shows that voters' negative sentiments towards political opponents have intensified, while their emotional attachment to their own political group has grown stronger.
An increasing number of Finns feel more dislike for their political opponents, alongside growing affection for their own political group. This is demonstrated in Daniel Kawecki's University of Helsinki doctoral thesis Den affektiva polariseringens mekanismer i 2000-talets Finland ('Mechanisms of affective polarisation in 21st century Finland'), which examines whether such polarisation increased in Finland during the 2000s.
Affective polarisation (polarisation based on emotion) refers to members of political groups developing increasingly negative feelings towards one another. It involves an 'us versus them' dynamic, marked by growing emotional attachment to one's own group. This may occur irrespective of any actual increase in differences of opinion.
The phenomenon has been evident in Finland since the 2011 election year, with individuals identifying at the margins of both the left-right and liberal-conservative scales developing an increasingly emotionally black-and-white view of political parties.
"These voters, in particular, now see parties in terms of strong approval or strong disapproval. Neutral feelings are becoming less common."
Kawecki's research indicates that voters furthest from the centre were the first to become affectively polarised. Only then did centrist voters follow suit, adopting a more polarised view of the parties.
Politics stirs stronger emotions - affective polarisation against Swedish People's Party linked to language issue
Affective political polarisation gathered pace in Finland around the time of the 2011 election, likely driven by the breakthrough of the Finns Party.
"The election exposed contradictions that had been brewing beneath the surface, and political allegiance suddenly became more significant - politics began to stir emotions. Polarisation appeared to increase further in the 2019 election, but data from the most recent parliamentary election in 2023 indicate that the trend has since abated," notes Kawecki.
He believes that the surge in 2011 can be seen as the beginning of a new normal in Finland.
Kawecki also wished to explore whether language issues affect polarisation between parties. His doctoral thesis therefore focused on whether antipathy among Finnish speakers towards the Swedish People's Party of Finland (SFP) was driven by ethnic prejudice against the country's Swedish-speaking population or by disagreements over the role of Swedish in Finland.
"The decisive factor proved to be whether the individual shared the SFP's view of Finland as a country with two strong national languages, rather than any underlying ethnic prejudice."
This association was unique to the SFP, which Kawecki sees as evidence of its strong identification with the promotion of bilingualism in the country.
Kawecki's doctoral thesis is based on data from Finnish parliamentary election surveys, alongside a number of other questionnaire surveys measuring Finnish citizens' political attitudes.
Polarisation is part of democracy
While many are concerned about the consequences of rising polarisation in Finland, Kawecki argues that political polarisation is a natural feature of a democracy. Any underlying social conflicts are supposed to be represented in politics by different parties, even when this provokes strong emotions.
"The challenge is that the difficult issues of our time are largely about norms and identities. These are areas where compromise is particularly difficult. I hope that my research can contribute by presenting and describing the underlying contradictions in a way that is broadly acceptable, so that we at least share a common understanding of what divides us."
Kawecki additionally notes that his findings show a continued effort among Finns to differentiate between the political and the personal when it comes to whom they dislike or avoid socially.
"Even individuals who strongly dislike a political party tend to remain relatively neutral towards ordinary voters who support it. On the other hand, liking a party is generally accompanied by positive feelings towards its supporters."
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Doctoral student Daniel Kawecki
